Come this weekend and city music enthusiasts will have a lot to cheer about. Best of local and international music, good food and wine will converge together for the first prelude to the popular Escape music festival, at the outskirts of the capital. Escape Retreats, as the prelude is being called, has an interesting line-up of artistes, including city band Grey Area, Traffic Jam, a rock blues band from North East, JJJ, known for their EDM, White Wizard, Chalo Africa, a Congolese music styles, Dutch DJ Giuseppe and many more. “African folk music has a nice rhythm and clicks instantly with people across globe. We are a band based in Congo and plan to play eclectic rendition of the folk music from the region. As a ten member band, each of us has a unique style, which will merge together to create great music,” says band conductor Guy Bass, Chalo Africa. The band is quite excited to perform in the country, which they feel will be a novel experience. Hailing from the hills of Dalhousie, Sandeep Sharma’s psychedelic trance project, White Wizard is quite popular across globe. Talking about his music, he says, “My music is based on groove basslines and is distinguished by the magical atmosphere created by massive twists, organic sounds and cruising melodies. It will have surprising beaks and build-ups. I just want the crowd to get the party boots ready to dance non-stop to my tunes.” Dutch DJ Giuseppe also has similar aspirations. He adds, “I am planning to play some music that will invite people to dance. I expect a curious and happy crowd, ready to discover my music.” His music is a combination of solid beats and atmospheric soundscapes. City band Grey Area will add the jazz element to the prelude. “Though each member has his own set of influences, we all share a love for improvisation based jazz funk which is largely what we play. A lot of people, when they think of jazz, think only of swing or bebop music. However, when elements of rock merge with the harmonies of jazz and funk, an interesting form of jazz fusion music is born,” says Saibal Basu, guitarist, Grey Area. Talking about the music scene in the city, Abhinav Dhar, drummer, Grey Area puts forth, “Music that is niche or jazz based, or world or experimental is finding a place and gaining popularity now that says a lot for Delhi’s growing appetite for new musical experiences.” Escape Prelude is being held at the Taradhun valley golf resort, Haryana and plans to accommodate more than 300 people. Elucidating further, L. Tochhawng aka Mama, festival director, Escape Festival of Music and Arts says, “The Escape festival is known for its great music and chilled out ambience. For the prelude, we are planning to recreate a similar laidback vibe and ambience as the main festival itself in the lap of nature accompanied by mouthwatering food and some of the finest wines. The aim was to get people to be away from it all, and offer a teaser to the same experience as the main festival.”
